1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the use of orthopedic fixation devices and devices for installing the same, and in particular, to intramedullary fixation devices and guides for facilitating installation and fixation of the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Long bone fractures are fairly common in the elderly population, often due to the onset of osteoporosis. Long bone fractures may be reduced by the use of assorted conventional bone plates. For example, a bone plate may be attached to the outside surface of two adjacent fragments of a long bone and then secured by inserting bone screws through openings in the bone plate. Problems may arise with such bone plates, however, in that the soft tissues covering the bone plates may become irritated by passage or movement over the bone plates.
An alternative to bone plates are intramedullary nails or rods that extend through a medullary canal defined within the fractured long bone. The nails or rods are typically fastened to the fractured portions of the long bones with bone screws. The nails or rods are placed into the medullary canal by insertion through a hole which is drilled into one end of the long bone. For instance, to reduce a fractured femur with an intramedullary rod or nail, a hole is drilled through the articular cartilage between the condyles to provide access for the rod. Because the intramedullary nails or rods are contained within the medullary canal, they avoid the problems with soft tissue associated with plates. However, insertion of these rods through holes in the ends of the longs bones requires damaging the articular cartilage on the ends of the long bones.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,527,775 to Warburton (“the '775 patent”), which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, describes an intramedullary fixation device used to reduce a distal fracture of the radius. As shown in FIG. 3A of the '775 patent, the intramedullary fixation device 25 includes an elongated axially extending rod 26 with a distal portion 27 and a proximal portion 28. The fixation device also includes a distal fixation member 30 and proximal fixation members 35. The distal fixation member extends through the distal portion of the rod and into a distal fracture fragment 18. The proximal fixation members extend through the proximal portion of the rod and the portion of the radius proximal the fracture line. The '775 patent describes avoiding end insertion of the rod through the cartilage of the distal radius by using a laterally positioned bone window 16 defined in the distal fracture fragment.
Although the '775 patent discloses an intramedullary fixation device for reducing a distal radius fracture without insertion through cartilage on the end of the distal radius, other long bones, such as the humerus, femur and tibia are also often fractured and require repair.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a fixation device for all long bones that is insertable into the medullary shaft of the long bones. It would also be advantageous if the fixation device were capable of insertion without damaging the articular cartilage of the long bones.